Belgian football has undergone a revolution in the past decade and the country that haven’t qualified for a World Cup since 2002 are now considered genuine contenders for next summer’s tournament in Brazil, with qualification from Group A all but secured.

Following
their unimpressive 2002 World Cup showing, the Belgian FA technical director
Michel Sablon pioneered a radical 10-year plan for the younger generation,
which focused on smaller, less competitive games and the introduction of a high-tempo
4-3-3 system across the board.

Since
then, Belgium and national team boss Marc Wilmots haven’t looked back. On
course to qualify for their first World Cup for almost a decade, Wilmots has an
array of exciting, young talent at his disposal.

From
Marouane Fellaini to Eden Hazard, Thomas Vermaelen to Vincent Kompany and
Christian Benteke to Romeleu Lukaku. Belgian talent now dominates the Premier
League and Fellaini’s £27.5m summer transfer to Manchester United
exemplified the high transfer fees now being demanded by Wilmots’ players who
are currently ranked as the sixth best team in world football.

The
never-ending conveyor belt of Belgian talent looks set to continue with the
arrival of Anderlecht youngster Youri Tielemans.

16-year-old
Tielemans is an Anderlecht boy through and through. He joined the club as a
schoolboy at the age of five and worked his way up through the Brussels-based
side’s increasingly impressive youth system, which has seen the likes of Chelsea
swoop for its up and coming starlets in recent seasons.

Indeed,
Tielemans’ efforts haven’t gone unnoticed in the Belgian national team ranks
after he scored a magnificent hat-trick for the under-16 side against Germany
in May. His record of eight goals in 10 games persuaded van den Brom to blood
him in pre-season games, one of which was against German giants Schalke.

Tielemans,
who has been capped at U15, U16 and U21 level for Belgium, made his long-awaited
first team debut in July against Sporting Lokeren after replacing injured
midfielder Sacha Kljestan with just 25 minutes gone. He didn’t look out of
place in John van den Brom’s side and dazzled Anderlecht supporters with his
superb ball distribution and attacking intent.

Following
an assist within his first three league games against Beveren, the level-headed
Tielemans played several times for the Anderlecht U21 side before being handed
a record-breaking surprise start against Olympiakos in the Champions League.

Tielemans
became the third youngest player to have appeared in Europe’s elite competition
at 16 years, 4 months and 25 days, while he remains the sole 1997-born player
to have been involved in the tournament – an unbelievable rise for a player who
only made his domestic league debut just three months previous.

Arsenal’s
freshly recruited scout Ty Gooden has already identified him as a standout prospect
in Belgium’s Jupiler Pro League, while north London rivals Tottenham are the
most recent Premier League side linked with a move for Anderlecht’s
highly-rated midfielder.

However,
it was Manchester City who came closest to landing Tielemans’ signature in the
summer following a recommendation from captain Vincent Kompany. The youngster’s
parents immediately blocked the move, as they want him to finish his education
in Belgium – which is the same route Kompany himself took during his time at
Anderlecht.

Tielemans’
versatility is one of his biggest strengths and perhaps the underlying reason
he has attracted so much interest at such a young age. He can play in the
holding role, further up field and as a more box-to-box midfielder – the latter
seems to be his most natural position.

Given
the responsibility of taking set pieces at 16-years-old, the pressure on
Tielemans’ shoulders doesn’t seem to have affected him and he looks at home
playing in Anderlecht’s vibrant, young squad led by attacking giants Matías
Suárez and summer acquisition Aleksandar Mitrović.

In
terms of other qualities, Tielemans possesses the nous to get himself in the
right positions and bring his team-mates into play with terrific square passes.
The way he lofts the ball and dominates play in midfield is a very rare quality
for a 16-year-old to be blessed with.

Tielemans’
concentration levels are the main feature of his game he will need to work on
and with more games this will eventually come. Being caught in possession
against Olympiakos was an example of how challenging top-level football is and how
quickly you can be punished for the smallest of errors.

Overall, Tielemans is a terrific talent who has the potential to
blossom into a top central midfielder. He still needs at least another couple
of seasons in Belgium to aid his development but you can be sure that when he
eventually does become available for transfer, the Premier League will be the
first destination on his list.

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